


It's Only Sex (Except When It's Not)

by Cello_trash



Series: Making Windows Where There Were Once Walls + some oneshots [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Crack Treated Seriously, Dom/sub Undertones, Feelings, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Miscommunication, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining, Porn With Plot, Unrequited Love, dumb boys in love, kind of, only a little bit of angst tho, there's one sex scene in the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:41:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24226012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cello_trash/pseuds/Cello_trash
Summary: "Gwaine was a mess. This wasn’t news, but still, he felt that it needed to be stated again."Gwaine thinks that being friends with benefits with Percy will help him get over Merlin. It works, just way better than he expects and feelings develop.Can be read as a stand alone but heavily references events that happen in the others parts of this series
Relationships: Arthur/Merlin (background), Gwaine/Percival (Merlin)
Series: Making Windows Where There Were Once Walls + some oneshots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1744669
Comments: 18
Kudos: 117





	It's Only Sex (Except When It's Not)

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to give Gwaine a happy ending so here it is. I didn't mean to, but some smut snuck into this story. I've never written smut so hopefully it isn't super awkward. This story takes place across parts 2 and 3 of the series. Hope y'all enjoy!  
> All mistakes are my own

Gwaine was a mess. This wasn’t news, but still, he felt that it needed to be stated again.

Gwaine was happy for them. He really was. Even though Arthur could be a right prat sometimes, he was still Gwaine’s friend. Arthur and Merlin were extremely cute together, and madly in love.

That didn’t mean that Gwaine couldn’t wallow a bit though.

Which brought him to where he was now. Princess had proposed earlier today, and so Gwaine was doing his best to drown himself in liquor at the tavern. While he normally was the life of the party, tonight was spent alone at a table in the back.

Or at least he was alone until Percy showed up, plopping himself down in the chair opposite to Gwaine.

“I thought I might find you here,” the larger man said when Gwaine glared at him.

“I don’t want company.”

“Too bad. I know how you feel about Merlin, but you need to let go,” Percy urged. “This isn’t healthy. You’re practically drinking yourself to death because of your two friends’ engagement.”

Gwaine continued to brood. “Ok it’s time you get home,” Percy decided, standing up and grabbing Gwaine’s arm, pulling him up as well. Gwaine stumbled, trying to find his balance but too drunk to do so.

Percy stabilized him and wrapped his arm around Gwaine’s waist, trying to support him as he led him out of the tavern and back towards the castle. When they were outside Gwaine’s room, Percy tried to figure out what he was going to do with Gwaine before deciding that Gwaine would not be able to make it to his bed and undress by himself.

Heaving a sigh, Percy opened the door to Gwaine’s room. Once they were inside, he moved to close the door, but to his surprise, Gwaine pushed him up against the wall, snogging him within an inch of his life. He let himself enjoy it for a few seconds, Gwaine’s technique sloppy, but still dirty in a way that made Percy hot.

“Fuck, you’re so hot Perce,” Gwaine moaned into his mouth, as he pushed his knee in between Percy’s legs. Percy tried, and failed, to suppress his groan of arousal. Gwaine grinned predatorily, but Percy finally mustered up the strength to push Gwaine away.

“You’re drunk, Gwaine,” he stopped Gwaine from kissing him again. “I won’t take advantage of you like that.”

“You’re not taking advantage,” Gwaine growled. “I want this.”

“If you still feel that way in the morning come talk to me, but this isn’t happening tonight,” Percy put his foot down.

When Gwaine didn’t say anything, sulking, Percy started moving them towards the bed again and undressed Gwaine down to his underwear before tucking him in. “See you at training tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Whatever. Just leave,” Gwaine was clearly upset and turned so his back was directed at the other man. Percy did not know what to say so he just grimaced awkwardly and left.

When Gwaine showed up to training the next day, his head was still pounding and the last thing he wanted to do was be on the drill field. He didn’t want to see Percy either. He hoped that Percy wouldn’t want to talk to him either.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Percy kept on trying to catch his eye throughout practice, and when he couldn’t do that, cornered Gwaine in the armory afterwards.

“How are you feeling?” Percy asked.

“Like death.” Percy hummed in acknowledgement. “We need to talk, don’t we?” Gwaine groaned.

“I think that would be best.” They stood in silence, neither of them wanting to start the conversation. Finally, Percy probed, “So how much do you remember from last night.”

“Enough”

“I need more than that Gwaine.”

Gwaine looked mutinous. “I remember kissing you and you rejecting me. You don’t have to tell me again, it won’t happen again, I promise.”

“I never rejected you,” Percy maintained.

“You pushed me away!” Gwaine cried, “That’s a rejection is I’ve ever heard one.”

“I pushed you away because you were drunk Gwaine, not because I didn’t want it.” They were both practically yelling at this point. When another knight cleared his throat, they both blushed, trying to keep their voices down.

Percy went on, “If you really want this, I’m not opposed.”

Gwaine sighed heavily. “I’m attracted to you, but I can’t promise anything else,” he whispered. “I’m still not emotionally over him…”

“That’s fine by me.” Percy crossed his arms in front of his chest, fixing Gwaine with a no nonsense look. “I’m a big boy. I don’t need you to be professing your love for me for us to have sex.”

“Well then, would you like to walk me back to my room?” Gwaine winked, leading the two of them to his chambers.

The second the door was closed, Percy slammed Gwaine into the door, trapping him there by pinning his arms above his head with one hand. He leaned in for a kiss, pausing right before their lips met, and when Gwaine moved to close the distance, he moved back with a teasing grin.

“Fucking kiss me already,” Gwaine growled, trying to break out of Percy’s grip to no avail. Letting him squirm for a few seconds, Percy finally crashed his mouth onto Gwaine’s, licking and nipping at his lower lip, demanding entrance.

Wrapping his free hand in Gwaine’s hair, he pulled slightly, and at Gwaine’s breathy gasp, claimed Gwaine’s mouth, tongues intertwining and clashing.

Gwaine had initially tried to fight for control, but was now pliant in Percy’s hands. When they finally had to break apart to breath, Percy grinned at Gwaine, and asked, “Why don’t we move this to the bed?”

If it was possible, Gwaine’s pupils dilated even wider in lust, nodding his head, still too out of breath to form a verbal response.

Percy spun Gwaine around quickly, pushing him towards the bed. Gwaine sat down heavily, scooting back so that he was lying on his back in the middle of the bed. Percy followed him, sliding his hand under Gwaine’s shirt, skimming his hand across the smaller knight’s chest, pausing to pinch his nipples briefly, which made Gwaine writhe in pleasure.

Percy straddled Gwaine’s chest and leaned in to whisper in his ears, “You whine and squirm so nice for me,” laughing when this caused Gwaine to moan louder.

Percy pulled back, helping Gwaine remove his shirt, but when Gwaine moved to unlace his breeches, Percy stopped him, batting his hands away. “We can have a lot of fun before we get there,” he leered.

Gwaine simply threw his head back into the pillow, biting his lip hard as Percy spent long, torturous minutes exploring Gwaine’s neck, collarbone, and chest with his mouth, leaving love bites all over Gwaine’s body.

When Percy finally brought his hand down to tease Gwaine, sliding his hands just under his waistband, Gwaine was reduced to keening and begging, “Please please please please, Percy, god, touch me please…”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Percy responded in a slightly patronizing tone. He finally began to undo Gwaine’s pants, pulling them down along with his underwear, revealing Gwaine’s hardness. Gwaine panted, “You should get undressed too, please I need to see you.”

Percy nodded in agreement, pulling off his clothes until he was completely naked as well. Noticing that Gwaine was stroking himself, he tsked, “Well aren’t you greedy,” he scolded. “All I’ve done so far is make you feel good, I think it’s my turn.”

Gwaine squeaked as Percy grabbed him, positioning him on his knees, his hands crossed behind his back. “I want you to keep these here,” Percy instructed, squeezing Gwaine’s wrists before letting go.

“Now why don’t you suck me off, huh?” Percy asked, moving so that his cock was right in front of Gwaine’s face. His eyes rolled back in pleasure when Gwaine wrapped his lips around his head, sucking lightly before sliding farther down the shaft.

“Oh, what a sweet mouth… good boy,” Percy praised, running his hand through Gwaine’s hair. When Percy said this, Gwaine groaned. “Do you like that?” Percy asked, patting Gwaine on the cheek. “Do you like being called a good boy?”

Percy took Gwaine’s shudder as a yes. When Percy felt that he was getting close, he pulled out of Gwaine’s mouth with an obscene pop. He pushed Gwaine so that he was lying facedown on the sheets.

Percy reached over to search through Gwaine’s bedside drawer, and smiled in victory when he found a bottle of lubricant.

He dipped two fingers into it, and circled them slowly around Gwaine’s hole, waiting for him to relax. When he finally did, he pushed one finger in, quickly followed by two, reveling in the gasp that escaped Gwaine’s mouth.

“Mmm, does that feel good, baby?”

“Fuck yes, please more please.”

Percy stretched him out a bit more with two fingers before adding a third, his fingers searching for Gwaine’s prostate.

When he found it, Gwaine swore loudly, pushing back onto Percy’s fingers. When Percy was satisfied that Gwaine was stretched open enough, he lubed up his cock and pushed into Gwaine’s hole.

After a couple seconds, the head of his cock pushed through the tight ring of muscle, and he held himself there for a few seconds, letting Gwaine adjust. When he started to push in farther, he ran his hands lightly up and down Gwaine’s sides while the other man keened at the feeling of being full.

Percy got a steady rhythm going, reaching under Gwaine to stroke his dick. It wasn’t long before Gwaine came. Percy thrusted several more times, making Gwaine moan in overstimulation, before he came as well.

They lay there, breathing hard, and Percy pulled out, grabbing Gwaine’s underwear to wipe the both of them off. Afterwards, he collapsed on the bed beside Gwaine, and pulled him into his arms.

“Fuck, we need to do that again…” Gwaine panted.

“Yeah,” Percy responded, holding Gwaine until he drifted off the sleep. Looking down at the unconscious man, Percy thought that he was screwed. No matter what he had said to Gwaine in the armory, he did have feelings for Gwaine; had for a long time.

If this was the only way he could have him, then he would take it, but it might just kill him, Percy thought as he drifted off to sleep as well.

\-------------------------

The day of Arthur and Merlin’s wedding had been going incredibly well until Morgana showed up. To his surprise, Gwaine hadn’t even seemed jealous of Arthur, Percy thought. They had danced together, enjoying the celebration with their friends, and Percy was sure that they would have mind-blowing sex later.

And then Morgana appeared. Percy had stood there in shock as she was taken down to the dungeons and Arthur followed her. Noticing Percy’s distress, Gwaine walked over and whispered in his ear, “Are you okay?”

“I need to get out of here,” Percy gasped, rushing out of the room towards his chambers. Gwaine quickly caught up to him, keeping pace. When they reached Percy’s chambers, Gwaine gently undressed him before herding both of them into the bed and under the covers.

All of a sudden, something broke inside of Percy and he started crying uncontrollably. Gwaine gathered him in his arms, pressing Percy’s head into the crook of his neck, running his hands gently through his hair.

“That’s it… just let it out… it’s okay… it’s going to be okay,” Gwaine whispered reassurances into his ear. Percy didn’t stop crying until he physically didn’t have any more tears to cry, and still he kept minutely shaking.

“S-she, she killed them,” he croaked out. “It’s her fault they’re d-dead.”

“I know Perce, I know… try and take a deep breath, come on… try and match my breathing.” Gwaine started breathing loudly, and Percy slowly started to match him until he was much calmer. When Gwaine started to move back, Percy whined.

“Shhh… I’m not going anywhere,” Gwaine whispered. “I’m just going to get a cloth to wipe off your face with.” The minute he returned and had finished cleaning off Percy’s face, Percy burrowed back into Gwaine.

“Can you stay?” he asked tentatively, as if he was afraid that Gwaine would say no.

“Of course.” The two of them held each other in silence until they both drifted off to sleep. It was the first time they spent a night together without having sex beforehand.

It would not be the last though. Throughout the next several months as Morgana started to become more integrated back into their group, Percy would often seek out Gwaine and ask if he could spend the night with him when he had a bad day.

It was because of these nights that Gwaine started to realize that he might have feelings for Percy, but he knew that they weren’t reciprocated and so decided he wouldn’t ever tell the bigger man. Nevertheless, seeing this more vulnerable side of the man and spending lots of hours talking only increased Gwaine’s feelings for his friend.

One of these nights, after Percy had spent almost an hour ranting about how angry he got whenever he saw Morgana, Gwaine cautiously asked, “Hey Perce, have you thought about maybe trying to make peace with Morgana?”

Percy shot him a look of betrayal. “How could you say something like that?”

“I just- I believe that she really is trying to make things right now,” Gwaine started. “And while I’m not trying to excuse her part in the destruction she and Morgause caused, Morgause harnessed Morgana’s fear and vulnerability against her… in a lot of ways she’s a victim of Morgause’s cruelty and manipulation as well.”

Percy stood up quickly, moving towards the door in anger. “Wait stop Perce… come back we don’t have to talk about this… don’t leave,” Gwaine pleaded, trying to salvage the situation.

“I can’t talk to you right now,” Percy snapped. “I need to be alone. Do not follow me.” At that he threw open the door, slamming it behind him as he stormed out of the room.

‘Fuck’ Gwaine thought.

\-------------------------

When Gwaine saw that Percy was safe after the bandit attack, he nearly cried. He rushed over to the other man and immediately started looking him over for injuries. When he did not find any, he looked in Percy’s eyes, “How are you unhurt?” He asked.

Percy looked uncomfortable for a moment. “Morgana saved me many times in the battle… and she healed the worst of my wounds afterward.”

Gwaine pulled him into a tight hug, “We can talk about it later. Right now, I’m just so happy that you’re safe.” Percy squeezed him hard back, “I’m glad you’re unharmed as well.”

They stood, hugging each other for longer than was appropriate for friends, but they didn’t care.

For the rest of the walk back to the village, Gwaine could not keep his hands off of Percy. It was if he believed that if he let go of the larger knight that he would disappear or get hurt. Even when they started riding back to Camelot, he rode side by side with Percy, babbling about anything and everything, but constantly flicking his eyes sideways to watch Percy.

When they made camp, Percy explained all that happened in the fight. Later, after dinner was served, Gwaine returned to Percy’s side and said, “Morgana says that she appreciates you thanking her for saving you and that it wasn’t any problem.”

“I didn’t thank Morgana?” Percy said, bewildered.

“I thanked her for you… I knew you wanted to, but couldn’t do it yet.”

Percy looked like he was going to argue for a minute, but then relaxed. “You’re right,” he said quietly to Gwaine.

“I know.”

That night they set their sleeping rolls as close as they could, drawing comfort from each other’s presence.

\-------------------------

The night that they all celebrated in the tavern after killing Morgause was the night that their relationship finally changed.

When Percy sat down next to Gwaine at the table, Gwaine leaned into his side, whispering, “I saw you apologizing to Morgana… I’m so proud of you.” He gave Percy a big smile, and Percy lit up like a Christmas tree; in that he was both ecstatic that Gwaine was proud of him, and that he turned bright red at the praise.

“It was time…” Percy mumbled.

As the night wore on, they both continued to get progressively more drunk. When it was time to leave, they both supported each other, stumbling back to Gwaine’s room (they hadn’t slept apart since the bandit attack).

Upon getting into bed, they lazily made out, knowing that they were both too drunk to have sex. At an especially dirty kiss, Gwaine moaned, “Fuck, I love you Perce.” They both sobered up quickly after that.

“You can’t love me,” Percy stated.

“I-I’m sorry, just ignore what I said,” Gwaine stuttered, turning his face away from Percy.

Percy reached out, grabbing Gwaine’s chin so that the other man was forced to look at Percy. “No, you don’t understand… you can’t be in love with me because I’ve been in love with you and if we haven’t been dating because you’ve been to scared to say something then I’d have to kill you,” he gave Gwaine a small, gentle smile.

“Hey, I could say the same thing to you…” Gwaine grumbled playfully.

Percy snorted. “We’re both messes.” They both started laughing. They then spent the next several minutes just laying facing each other, looking into each other’s eyes. The moment was broken when Gwaine let out a big yawn.

“Let’s get some sleep,” Percy whispered. “We can talk more tomorrow when we’re fully sober.”

They fell asleep in each other’s embrace.

When Percy woke up the next morning, he just stared silently at Gwaine’s sleeping face wondering if Gwaine would remember their conversation from last night.

Percy moved slightly, and Gwaine stirred. “Sorry I woke you up,” Percy said, his voice gravelly with sleep.

“Mmmm…” Gwaine stretched for a second before freezing all of a sudden. “What do you remember from last night…”

“I remember that we both said we loved each other,” Percy tried to sound as steady as he could.

“And did you mean it?” Gwaine asked quietly.

“Yes,” Percy said warmly.

“Good, me too,” Gwaine smiled before closing his eyes. “Now shut up and go back to sleep, I don’t want to get up yet.”

Percy snorted. “Works for me.” Percy rearranged Gwaine so that his body was curled around the smaller knight, and they both quickly fell back asleep, fully content.

**Author's Note:**

> So I think this is going to be the last installment of this series. This has been a super great first experience with fanfiction and I hope I see some of you again once I write some more Merlin/other fandom works. Y'all are amazing!!!!!!  
> If you enjoyed this leave a comment and/or kudos!!!!!!


End file.
